The present invention relates to vehicle windshield cleaning systems, and more specifically to means for keeping wiper blades free of ice, frozen snow and the like.
A problem commonly encountered in cold weather driving is the accumulation of ice or frozen snow on the windshield wiper blades. This occurs under conditions of precipitation when the ambient temperature is below or near freezing temperature. Use of the defroster, while keeping the inside of the windshield free of frost and condensation, may worsen the condition on the outside by tending to melt snow which quickly accumulates as "slush" on the wipers and then freezes on the wiper arms and blades due to the colder outside temperature and wind chill.
Attempts to alleviate this problem have included supplying heat by electric or other means to the wiper blades and/or arms. Beside the added cost imposed by such systems, they are subject to failure and require maintenance and repair. Special winter blades of "non-stick" material are also available, but are more costly than conventional blades and may still experience a certain amount of freezing or slush build-up under some conditions. Other systems directed to the same purpose include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,908,222, wherein a plurality of relatively small, independent elements are adhered to the windshield in spaced relation to one another, 2,974,340, comprising strips with a plurality of raised ribs arranged at acute angle to the direction of travel of the blades, and 4,378,484, employing strips of material arranged in the form of an inverted V above the rest positions of the blades. While some of such systems provide effective means for keeping the blades free from ice or snow, they require special fabrication, thus involving tooling and/or assembly costs, and in some cases exert undue wearing forces on the blade edges.
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a simple and inexpensive, yet thoroughly effective means for keeping conventional windshield wiper blades free of ice, snow, etc.
Another object is to provide means for preventing build-up of frozen or semi-frozen material on windshield wiper blades which requires no modification of or attachments to the wiper blades or arms.
A further object is to provide an inexpensive means for use with an existing windshield cleaning system to keep the movable wiper members essentially free of ice, snow, and the like, which may be fabricated from standard materials and installed in a very quick and easy manner by the vehicle owner or operator.
Still another object is to provide stationary wiper blade cleaning means which keep the blades free of frozen material yet produce substantially no additional wear on the blade edges.
Other objects will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.